Don't Get On Her Bad Side
by abandoned81409
Summary: AU, no Slayers. Buffy’s mother marries a military man. Said man becomes the Commandant of a military school and Buffy is forced to move and attend school there. Buffy/Faith, Cordelia/Kennedy, Tara/Willow. Rated M for language. COMPLETE.
1. Prologue

Prologue

Buffy Summers was always a California girl. She was blonde, -- dyed, yes, but blonde no less -- a cheerleader, popular, -- with the football quarterback as a boyfriend -- and she had always been that way. Her parents were never that way; they were both nerds in their own way at school. But lately, Buffy was starting to think that it wasn't really who she was.

At home, Buffy was a goody-two-shoes. She felt she had to be ever since her mother, Joyce, and father, Hank, had divorced on bad terms and had remained on bad terms since she was fourteen.

Her mother worked until seven o'clock at the gallery she co-owns and curates at. But she brought in a lot of money, which was good since Hank didn't bother to pay child support. So it was Buffy's responsibility to get her chores and homework done and make dinner every so often. More often than not, the two would order out. And, if Buffy was honest with herself, she preferred herself this way. She was quiet and relaxed and herself at home but was still totally willing to talk about...well, anything.

Then her mom started dating a military man. He was a little older than Joyce but not much. He was very friendly and had gray hair and glasses. He was born in the U.S. and was legally a U.S. citizen. But from the time he was five until he was sixteen, he had lived in the U.K. At eighteen, he'd moved back to the U.S. and enlisted in the military. He was a high-ranking member of the United States Military with a United Kingdom accent. And his name was Rupert. Rupert Giles. But Buffy just called him Giles.

Tonight, Joyce was having Giles over for a "family dinner" with Buffy. Apparently, they had some big announcement. But Buffy already knew what it was. Her mom was always pulling something out of her pocket and looking at it then shoving it back into her pocket when Buffy entered the room. She wondered if they thought she was stupid.

The door to their three-bedroom apartment was yanked open and slammed shut. Buffy briefly registered the doorbell having rang beforehand.

She sighed to herself as her mother called for her to come say hello. She got up and went to say hello.

Then she went to check on dinner. She heard her mom and Giles talking excitedly in the living room, trying to be quiet. Buffy could hear them, but she didn't care enough to really listen. Until...

"Buffy! Can you come in here for a minute?"

She sighed and checked the hamburger patties once more. They were almost fully browned and would be ready to eat soon. She went into the living room and saw Joyce and Giles holding hands.

"What's up?" she asked.

"Well, Rupert and I are getting--"

"Married? No shit," the sixteen year old said.

"You knew?" Giles asked, raising an eyebrow at the girl.

"Your fiancée's not very discreet at hiding the rock you gave her," Buffy said, smiling. "Anyway, congratulations you guys. Giles, I'm glad you make my mom happy."

She smiled politely at Giles, and he smiled back.

"But there's more to the news," Joyce said. "Buffy, Rupert has been offered the position of Commandant at a military school in Boston: Franklin D. Roosevelt Military School. It's a well-paid job, and it is very suitable for a retired general."

"Oh. Cool. Congrats again."

His brows furrowed at her, but he smiled his thanks.

A beep sounded from the kitchen: the oven timer.

"Burgers are ready. Come and get 'em."

They sat down to dinner in the small dining room and ate their hamburgers in a comfortable silence.

Buffy was lost in her own thoughts, mostly, but she wasn't too out of it to notice Giles and Joyce trying to look at each other or hold hands all sly-like.

"Guys," she said, chuckling, "I don't mind you holding hands or anything in front of me. Don't worry about it. You are what you are and I'm happy for you."

She smiled warmly at both of them.

"Thanks, honey," Joyce said. "Actually, Rupert and I have one more piece of news for you which I'm assuming you haven't guessed on your own."

Buffy held up one finger, -- asking them to wait -- finished her hamburger, and then she turned her attention to the couple.

"Hit me," she said, grinning. "Just not literally please."

"Well, since Rupert has already taken the position at FDR Military School, and we're out of contact with your dad...we'll be getting married over the summer and moving to campus for as long as he's there."

"Yes, there's a special on-campus house for the Commandant," Giles said. "It's quite nice. I'm sure you'll like it, Buffy."

"We're moving there?!" Buffy exclaimed, surprised. "To Boston! I'm almost seventeen! I'll be a junior next year! I don't wanna just up and leave!"

"I'm sorry, Buffy," Joyce said. "But the decision's already been made. The academics are great and it's very well-structured and with Rupert as headmaster--"

"Commandant," Giles corrected her gently.

"Commandant. Right," Joyce said, smiling at him. "Well, with Rupert as Commandant...it's just more convenient."

Buffy took a moment to digest this information and eventually nodded in recognition. Though she refused to admit it, deep down she knew her mom was right. She nodded again and stood up, grabbing her plate. She threw it in the dishpan and stormed off into her room.

"That went well," Joyce said, sighing.

* * *

Summer came and went quickly, closing in the celebration of Joyce and Giles' wedding. It was a beautiful indoor wedding, followed by a reception in one of the gallery wings. It was nice and Buffy did actually enjoy it, though she regretted having to leave for the military school within the week.

Since Giles and Joyce had made their announcement the month before, Buffy had broken up with her idiot of a boyfriend and just generally withdrew herself from the popular crowd. She was no longer a cheerleader -- she saw no point in it. She'd become considered a loner and a social outcast, but she didn't care anymore. She was going to military school. She was sure she was going to be miserable so she figured she'd better start now.

Joyce had quit being a curator at the gallery, though she continued to co-own and fund it. She told the other owner that she wanted to be involved in any major projects. That was happily agreed upon.

Buffy's week was soon up, and the apartment she and her mother have lived in together for so many years is cleaned out and ready for its next owners. Buffy sighed and grabbed her last duffel bag. She looked around one last time and left the apartment.


	2. Chapter One

Chapter One

Franklin D. Roosevelt Military School was bustling with activity when Buffy arrived. Giles had already been on campus for a few days, but this was the first time she was seeing it. Girls and boys alike were arriving, some newbies like herself and some old-timers, greeting each other happily and heading for their barracks.

Buffy shouldered her duffel bag and headed toward the building she'd been assigned. She'd asked one of the friendlier-looking girls who had politely pointed her in the right direction. She walked quickly to the aforementioned building and went inside. She found an empty bunk and realized from the other girls' stares that she probably looked a little out of place since she was in street clothes while they were already in uniform. She sighed and climbed onto the available top bunk, sitting cross-legged on top of it and beginning to search through her bag.

Buffy was surprised when a redheaded girl suddenly appeared on the ladder, a friendly smile adorning her pretty features.

"Hey," she said. "New?"

"How'd ya know?" Buffy asked sarcastically. "Buffy Summers." She held out a hand which the other girl eagerly took.

"Willow Rosenberg. Nice to meet you." She eyed Buffy's clothes once again. "I take it you're new to military school in general."

"Yep," Buffy replied, surprised that she was beginning to regain some of her old cheerfulness. "Always been a public school girl."

"Willow, we've got Lehane!"

Willow turned around and jumped off the ladder. She gestured for me to follow, and I climbed down the ladder.

"Buffy Summers, Anya Jenkins. Anya, Buffy's new here."

"Cool," Anya said shortly.

Anya was small, -- about Buffy's height -- with short blonde hair tied back in a ponytail. She had an fake smile and an overly-obnoxious voice. Buffy didn't exactly like her, but she didn't dislike her either. She was just wary of her.

"So, um, who's Lehane?" Buffy asked.

"A hard-ass Cadet Captain," Anya said. "She's very by-the-book. Can't step a toe over the line with her."

"She's not _that _bad, Anya," Willow said. "But she is very strict. Cross her and find yourself in big trouble. She'll probably find a way to send you to the Commandant after only_ one _infraction if she_ really _hates you."

Buffy raised her eyebrows.

"Is there really a new Commandant?" Anya asked.

"ATTEN-SHUN!"

The girls around the room scrambled toward their beds at the sound of another girl's voice sounding through the room. Buffy felt Willow grab her wrist and yank her over to the bed. Buffy stood silently at her new friend's side, completely confused.

She looked down toward where the yelling had come from and saw two girls heading her way. One had long, thick, wavy brown hair which was tied back in a ponytail, a few tendrils hanging down her forehead. The other had dark hair pulled back in a tight bun and otherwise concealed under a hat. The brunette was also decked out in full uniform, though her hat was tucked under her arm. She walked slowly -- her black boots shining in the sunlight flooding through the window -- and glanced over each girl.

Buffy zoned out for a bit and was only brought back to earth when she heard Willow clear her throat. The brunette was right in front of Buffy, her lackey standing off to the side, eyeing a girl a few bunks down with a shy smile on her lips.

"How ya doin', maggot?" the brunette asked. "I'm Captain Lehane; I'm sure you've heard of me from your new friends here. Nice to see you're back with us. May I ask why you aren't in your uniform?"

"I-I-I'm new here, ma'am. I just got off the plane from California. I was about to change. I'm sorry," Buffy said, her cheeks turning pink; she wasn't used to being put on the spot. It wasn't a_ total _lie. She_ was _new.

Lehane's expression softened considerably. "All right. I'll let you off the hook this time..." Lehane raised an eyebrow inquiringly.

"Oh, um, Summers. Buffy Summers."

Lehane grinned. "Summers. Got it. Just be ready for the next afternoon inspection, all right?"

Buffy nodded. "Absolutely, ma'am. I will be."

Lehane nodded and moved away from her. She beckoned to her lackey, inspected the rest of the girls and left the barracks.

As soon as the door closed, the girls burst into chatter. Buffy noticed that most of it was about how she had "softened up" Lehane.

Buffy wasn't sure that she'd "softened up" anyone -- Lehane seemed fairly nice to her. By-the-book like Anya had told her? Sure. But she still seemed capable of being nice.

"Willow!"

"Tara!"

Buffy watched in slight astonishment as a fairly womanly-looking blonde girl came up to Willow and pulled her into a crushing hug.

"Where were you, baby?" Willow asked. "You said you'd come to see me before inspection." Willow pouted.

Tara grinned. "I-I got h-here l-literally _t-t-ten_ seconds before Captain Lehane. I didn't have time," Tara explained. "S-sorry."

"It's okay," Willow said. "I understand."

She kissed Tara softly on the lips then turned to Buffy.

"Tara, this is Buffy Summers. She's new here. From Cali," Willow said.

"R-really?" Tara asked.

Buffy nodded affirmatively and smiled warmly at the stuttering blonde. "Los Angeles."

"San Francisco. I lived with my grandmother."

"Cool," Buffy said. "Um...I guess I better go change. Bathroom?"

"Out the door, down the hallway to your right. It's the first door on your left."

"Thanks."

Buffy climbed the ladder to her bunk and searched her duffel bag until she found the uniform the rest of the girls were wearing: a short-sleeved, light green, collared shirt, dark green pants, a black belt, and a pair of black boots.

Buffy followed Willow's instructions to the ladies' room and changed into the clothes she'd brought with her. She tied her hair back in a ponytail. Now she was in uniform and hopefully wouldn't be stared at by the others anymore.

When Buffy returned to the barracks, Willow invited her to come along with Willow and Tara to get their academic schedules at the administration building. She accepted their offer, and they all headed outside.

Willow and Tara pointed out some of the activities people were already engrossed in. There was a drill team, some weight-lifters, some marching practices and a huge obstacle course.

Willow named each of the academic buildings. There was the History building, the Mathematics building, the Sciences building, and the Arts building. The other buildings were devoted to classes about military tactics, battle strategies, and so on. Buffy couldn't remember them all.

As they passed the Arts building, Buffy swore she saw Captain Lehane sitting there on the front stairs, drawing in a sketchpad resting on her legs. She couldn't be sure, of course. She'd only been on campus for maybe an hour and a half, and she didn't know a lot of people. Perhaps she'd mistaken someone else for Lehane.

When the trio received their schedules, they examined them together. Buffy discovered that she had her first two classes with Tara, her lunch period with Tara _and _Willow and her last two classes with Willow. She also noticed that her classes ended at one o'clock instead of three o'clock like they had at her public school. She asked Willow about it.

"Oh, that's because you have free time from one to two and then military training activities -- like the obstacle courses and stuff -- from two-fifteen to about five-forty-five. Dinner's at six."

"It's not too bad when you get used to it," Tara said. "Just don't do anything too taxing during free time and you'll be fine."

"Your stutter...?"

"Only appears when I'm nervous or meeting someone new. I know it's kind of odd," Tara said, laughing lightly. "It shocks a lot of people at first, I know. It just disappears when I become comfortable with someone. Ask Will. She's the one that figured it out. I thought it was permanent."

Buffy looked over at Willow, raising her eyebrows.

Willow blushed. "Let's get back to the topic at hand, huh?"

"Okay, well, what kind of activities do we have to do?" Buffy asked.

"Whatever your captain gives you," Willow said, shrugging. "And with Lehane's mood swings, you never what'll come your way."

Buffy smiled weakly. Willow's ominous tone was making Buffy think twice about her assumption that Lehane could be nice. She knew she definitely wouldn't feel as relaxed around Lehane. Willow made her sound like she was capable of anything, even murder. Buffy almost shuddered at the thought.

"We better get back," Tara said.

The three girls walked back to the barracks together, talking about their home lives and how much they'd miss their respective parents -- or guardian, in Tara's case. Buffy didn't mention that her step-dad was the Commandant and that he and her mother lived in a house on campus. She'd just starting making friends and didn't want people treating her differently because she was the Commandant's step-daughter.

When they got back to the barracks, Buffy decided to take a nap before dinner. So she climbed the ladder to her bed and got settled, laying on her side. She glanced at the two girls laying together in the bunk next to hers and closed her eyes.

After a moment, what she had seen registered in Buffy's mind. Her eyes shot open, and she looked at them a little closer. She recognized the face of Lehane's lackey from earlier, but she didn't recognize the brunette underneath the lackey.

Buffy watched as the two girls kissed gently. The lackey's grip tightened protectively around the other girl's back.

Buffy closed her eyes again and laid on her back. She felt as if she'd invaded a private moment between those two girls. Sure she hadn't cleared her throat or tried to get their attention or in any way interrupted them, but she'd looked at them while they were kissed. They hadn't known she was watching, but she'd basically ogled them.

Butterflies suddenly erupted in Buffy's belly as she wondered what it would be like to kiss a girl. She felt her body begin to relax, and her eyes closed again.

This felt good, Buffy decided, as her dream partner's warm, strong arms closed around her back. Buffy reached up and stroked her partner's soft cheek, cupping the firm chin in her hand. Her partner moved Buffy's from her cheek and grabbed Buffy's hand, lightly kissing her knuckles. Buffy looked up to meet her partner's eyes and saw that the girl's face was clouded. The only reason she knew it was a girl was that she could feel her partner's breasts pressing against her own. Her partner pulled her closer and leaned in, brushing her soft lips against Buffy's and...

Buffy woke up to a loud clanging sound, hurting her currently sensitive ears.

Willow came up the ladder. "Dinner," she explained, gesturing toward the window.

Buffy sat up and sleepily met Willow's eyes. She nodded.

"You'll need the hat," Willow added, tapping the hat she was wearing.

Buffy nodded again.

"Tara and I will wait for a minute but no longer. You have to hurry. Lehane gets pissed if we don't get to dinner on time. Trust me, I know."

Buffy smiled and watched Willow climb down the ladder.

Buffy sighed. She couldn't believe what she had been dreaming. It hadn't been bad, far from bad, actually. It had cut off just as it was getting good, and she couldn't help wondering what would have happened if she'd been able to sleep just_ a minute _longer.

Buffy looked over at the bed the lackey and the brunette had been smooching on. They were gone, of course, probably on their way to dinner together.

Buffy searched quickly through her duffel bag and found the hat she was looking for. She looked at it and reluctantly put it on. She then climbed down the ladder and joined Willow and Tara on their way to the dining hall for dinner. Yet another experience to learn about at her new military school.


	3. Chapter Two

Chapter Two

Buffy had been at military school for almost two weeks. She hadn't yet gone to the on-campus house Giles and Joyce lived in, claiming she was still adjusting to what was expected of her.

Willow, Tara and a reluctant Anya were helping her out, explaining some of the statistics in classes. She wasn't good with numbers and memorizing battle sites and all that. It just didn't make sense to her.

Surprisingly, Buffy was very good at the physical aspect of school. Every once in a while, she'd get a compliment from Captain Lehane or an approving nod and it made her feel really good. She liked knowing that Lehane thought she was worth something during training.

Buffy also constantly found herself wondering about Lehane's past and how she'd ended up in military school and...well, wondering what her first name was as well. That was the easiest place to start.

So, she asked Willow at lunch one day.

"Oh, it's 'Faith'," Willow said, flashing Buffy a surprised look at the question. "Didn't we tell you that?"

"Nope," Buffy said, cutting her roast beef sandwich in half.

"Oh, well, yeah."

"And who's that girl that's always following her around during inspections and stuff?" Buffy asked.

"Kennedy," Willow said. "She's in our year and she's Faith's...well, there's not a real word for it. Her assistant, I guess. And her little sister. She's cool to hang with sometimes."

"Oh, okay."

"Why the sudden curiosity?" Tara asked. "I thought you would've asked these questions a lot sooner."

"Didn't really occur to me, I guess," Buffy said, shrugging.

"If you say so."

Buffy looked up and met Tara's eyes, seeing the other girl's mouth twitch into a knowing smile. Buffy blushed.

Willow looked up, a confused expression on her face, but she didn't ask any questions. They finished their food in a comfortable silence. Eventually the bell rang, and they made their way to class.

Willow and Buffy walked to their first after-lunch art class. They were in the middle of an intermediate painting lesson. Willow sucked at it and constantly complained when she was sitting at the easel. Buffy wasn't the best, but she liked trying, and it normally came out looking semi-believable. The teacher had started them out on still-life, fruits and the like. It was hard, yes, but Buffy enjoyed it and had learned to tune Willow's complaints out after the first three days.

When class ended, Willow and Buffy went to their battle statistics class. That was boring for Buffy, but Willow was sitting up straight in her chair, clearly enthralled. Willow was good with numbers and didn't mind showing it. Buffy would take the basic notes, but she didn't hear much else. Willow was constantly lending Buffy her notes and pushing her to study them each night, just in case.

When free time came, Willow went off to find Tara while Buffy decided to wander the campus for a while. But as she walked, she couldn't help thinking about Captain Lehane or Faith, as she now knew her. She thought about Faith and Kennedy's past. Tara had told her that their father was a military colonel, but she wondered what their mother had been like.

"Summers! Summers!"

Buffy's head snapped up at the familiar husky voice. She turned around, saw Captain Lehane and immediately saluted.

Lehane chuckled and a dimpled grin appeared on her face.

"At ease, soldier," she said gently. "Just came over to say 'hey'."

"Oh... Well, hey. What's up?"

"My free time too, y'know," Lehane said. "Was heading over to the gym to stretch out a little? Wanna come with?"

"If that's what you want me to do, Captain."

Lehane chuckled again. "Just Faith right now, Summers," she corrected the younger girl.

"Well, then you should call me Buffy...Faith."

"I will. So...you wanna come?"

"Yeah, I'd like that."

Faith smiled and started walking; Buffy followed close behind.

"You know, you're pretty good at the physical stuff I put you guys on, B," Faith told her as they walked. "How's that?"

"I don't know," Buffy said, shrugging. "It's just always come kinda naturally for me, I guess."

"Me too," Faith said. "That's why my dad sent me here when I was fifteen. And he only sent Ken here because she begged him when she was fifteen." She sighed.

"You sound tired," Buffy observed.

"I'm five by five," Faith said quietly. "C'mon, we're here."

Faith led Buffy inside and into the locker room. They changed into the gym's provided mesh, dark blue shorts and white tee shirt with FDR printed across the chest. Faith grabbed them a few towels and led Buffy out into the actually gym.

Buffy was surprised to see there was a pool inside, enclosed in one room. There were some kids playing regular games: volleyball, basketball, kickball. There were others lifting weights, some twirling those fake guns around; the drill team.

"Up for a little tug-of-war, B?" Faith asked with a grin.

Buffy smiled. "Sure," she replied. "Why not?"

So the two girls went over and picked up the rope. They were easily matched for a while: Buffy won some, and Faith won some. But Buffy could tell Faith was getting tired so she woke her up by pulling as hard as she could when Faith wasn't paying attention. Faith started falling, surprise clearly shown on her face, and she barely caught herself in time. If she'd waited one more second, her face would've hit the ground.

Buffy burst out laughing.

Faith stood up, grinning herself and gave Buffy her best scary glare. Buffy squealed in pretend terror and took off running. Her captain chased after her and finally caught her just outside the pool area and held her in a headlock.

"Gonna say you're sorry, maggot?" she asked, hardly able to keep the laughter out of her voice. "Huh? Are ya?"

"I'm...I'm sorry," Buffy managed to choke out, between laughs. "I-I'm sorry, Faith. Really."

Faith nodded in satisfaction and let her go, smiling cockily.

"But your face was absolutely priceless," Buffy added, grinning as Faith turned to glare at her again.

Buffy ran into the enclosed room and dove into the pool inside. Faith followed and caught her again, pinning her against the pool wall. Time seemed to freeze for a moment as they stared into each other's eyes, neither of them very concerned about the position they were in.

Buffy leaned forward a little, still staring directly into the brown eyes in front of hers. Faith seemed tempted to mimic Buffy's movement and butterflies took over Buffy's belly. But, at the last minute, Faith pushed off the wall, away from Buffy, and swam over to the other side of the pool. Buffy sighed and climbed out of the pool, grabbing one of the pool towels stacked up on the side.

Buffy went back into the locker room after she'd dried off and changed back into her uniform. She put the gym uniform in the laundry basket next to the lockers, along with her towel.

Faith walked in just as Buffy was leaving and their eyes met for a moment. Faith looked away first and Buffy felt a little hurt. But she ignored what she was feeling and went back to the barracks to get ready for the afternoon training.

Buffy was sure that Faith was going to be harder on her than usual. Faith had looked frustrated and Buffy knew that she, being the cause of said frustration, would be the one to get the brunt of it.

Willow and Tara greeted her happily and asked her why her hair was so damp. Buffy just smiled and shook her head, before quickly going to change into the camouflage uniform they were supposed to wear for training. It was going to be a _long_ afternoon.

:

Well, Buffy had been right. By the time the afternoon training session ended, Buffy was sore all over. She wasn't sure she'd be able to sit through dinner so Willow talked Kennedy into making an excuse for the two of them. Kennedy was reluctant but eventually agreed, telling Buffy that she knew what it was like to be on the receiving end of Faith's moods.

"So..." Willow began, trying to start conversation, "wanna tell me why Lehane was so pissed at you?"

Buffy sighed. She was laying in bed, trying to relax, after a warm shower to get the aches and pains to fade. She knew Willow meant well but she kinda wished her friend would shut up.

"I don't know, Will," Buffy lied. "I guess she just had a bad day and she chose me as her victim. You're the one who told me she could be pretty mean sometimes, if you recall."

"I remember," Willow said. "But she seemed a bit more on...well, _you_, than anyone else._"_

"She didn't," Buffy said. "She just put me through a rough training session. I'll be all right."

"Something happen with the two of you?"

Buffy was silent. She remembered how close she'd come to kissing Faith in that pool and how much she'd wanted it. She remembered how much it had hurt when Faith rejected her and swam away from her. She didn't know why it had hurt her like that. She barely new the older girl. Why did it matter so much to her what Faith thought?

"Okay, well, I'm meeting Tara in a few minutes for some food. I get that you don't want to talk now, Buffy, really I do. But if you ever _do_ feel like talking, I hope you know I'm here. You can tell me anything or ask me anything."

"Thanks, Willow," Buffy said quietly. "I may take you up on that later. Right now, I just wanna sleep and make the pain go away."

"Okay. Sweet dreams, then."

"Thanks. Goodnight."

"Goodnight." Buffy closed her eyes and slowly fell asleep, hoping that she wouldn't dream about Faith.


	4. Chapter Three

Chapter Three

It had been a three weeks since the incident between Buffy and Faith. Buffy certainly hadn't been invited to any more friendly work-out sessions by the captain and was upset that she'd lost Faith as a possible friend. She was constantly berating herself for trying to kiss Faith.

Faith always seemed to be in a bad mood lately though the brunt of it was more evenly distributed now. She didn't seem directly angry at Buffy anymore and had even given her an approving nod just this afternoon. But Buffy still felt bad that all these other girls were having Faith's frustrations taken out on them.

Buffy had finally gone to the on-campus house the weekend after the pool incident. She'd been a little quieter than usual, but she'd enjoyed spending time with her mom and Giles. They'd had a nice dinner Sunday night and had a kind of family day on Saturday. She'd gone home every weekend since.

Buffy had also noticed Kennedy wasn't hanging around Faith as much. She was constantly with her girlfriend, -- whose name Buffy had yet to discover -- and Buffy couldn't blame her. Faith's aforementioned bad mood was catching. Even Willow, whom Buffy considered to be eternally happy -- though, admittedly, she wouldn't know very well yet -- was getting a little snappish.

Tara, however, was still the essence of calm. She'd keep Buffy company when Willow was off at the gym working through her own bad mood.

One day, while sitting in the library together, Buffy had told Tara what had happened between her and Faith.

"She was probably just surprised, Buffy. She hardly knows you and the moment you guys shared there... She must've felt like you were coming onto her."

"Her own sister's gay," Buffy said. "She can't be homophobic..."

"Oh, she can be," Tara said. "But I don't think she is. She wants Kennedy to be happy. So whether or not she approves, she's not going to say anything. She's not like that. If her father knew on the other hand..."

"He's one of those hardcore military guys, isn't he?" Buffy asked.

"From what I've heard," Tara said. "People have said that he divorced his wife because she was sleeping with another woman. Supposedly, she'd cheated plenty of times before with men, and he'd forgiven her but cheating with a woman was the last straw."

"Spreading my family's story Tara?"

Tara and Buffy looked up to see Kennedy standing over them, grinning, her arm around her girlfriend's waist.

"Hey, Kennedy," Tara said, smiling warmly. "Not really. Buffy was just a little curious about your family. I told her what I knew. Which isn't much, honestly."

"Well, what is it you wanna know?" Kennedy asked.

Kennedy pulled out a chair for her girlfriend and the girl took a seat, smiling adoringly at Kennedy. Kennedy smiled back and then sat down beside her.

"Well, one, what's your girlfriend's name?"

"Cordelia Chase," the girl spoke up. "Buffy Summers, right?" Buffy nodded and smiled. "Nice to meet you. I think I've heard your name before. You didn't used to go to Hemery in Los Angeles, did you?"

"Key words: used to," Cordelia said. "I did. I think I knew you from the socialite group."

"Yeah! Cordy! Long time, no see. I thought I recognized you," Buffy said, smiling. "We over at Hemery wondered what happened to you."

"Yeah, well, Daddy sent me to military school. He thought I was undisciplined. And I guess I was."

"Wow. So you've been here since after freshman year, huh?"

"Yeah," Cordy said. "And I actually like it. I don't really have a head for all the numbers and stuff but it's not too bad. And I met someone I love very much here."

Cordy smiled over at Kennedy and Kennedy smiled back.

"So, Buffy," Kennedy began, "what is it you want to know about my family?"

"Well, it's kind of about Faith. And don't consider me nosy cause I'm really trying not to be," Buffy said quickly.

"Go for it," Kennedy said.

Buffy still looked hesitant.

"It won't bother me. I promise," Kennedy assured her.

"Okay," Buffy said, taking a breath. "What is it that caused the mood swings? I mean, she seems like she can be the sweetest girl in the world sometimes and other times...she's so cold. It doesn't seem real."

"Faith had it rough growing up," Kennedy said quietly. "We both kind of did. Dad was especially hard on her though, cause physical stuff came so naturally to her, and I had to work for it. She never really got attention cause I was born when she was only eleven-months-old. My mom spoiled me when she was around and didn't pay much attention to her. Dad was the one that paid attention to her, but it wasn't always good. He...he'd beat her up sometimes. She'd cry when we were younger, but she stopped when she hit about five because she'd figured out that crying only made it more enjoyable for him. And when she became a pre-teen, she'd argue with him, talk back, whatever. She had a temper on her, and he didn't like that. She learned to control it eventually, but she still liked to take out her frustrations on something."

"You?" Buffy asked, watching as Cordy began rubbing Kennedy's back.

"No," Kennedy said, shaking her head. "Faith would never hurt me. She'd never hurt anyone. She doesn't wanna be like Dad. No, she saved up her money for a punching bag and then she hug it from the rafters on the second floor of our neighbor's garage. She'd beat on that for a while when he was home and her temper tried to get the better of her. Now that she's got an entire barracks under her control, she takes it out on them."

"But why?" Buffy asked. "I thought she didn't wanna hurt people. Doesn't she realize she's hurting people?"

"She realizes it," Kennedy said. "But the sergeant in charge of watching over training saw her taking her emotions out on us last year and he liked it. That turned her off to it immediately. She hasn't been like this since November of last year."

"Do you think she's gonna stop soon?" Tara asked.

"I think she's already calming down," Kennedy said. "Whatever happened must've stung quite a bit but she's relaxing about it. She needs time to figure things out when bad stuff -- or what she considers to be bad stuff -- happens. But she always comes out okay. She's never gonna be like Dad, I know that."

"I know why she was so pissed," Buffy said quietly.

"Really?" Cordy asked, suddenly very interested. "What is it?"

"I, um...I tried to kiss her," Buffy said quietly. "And...she didn't take it too well."

"What led up to this?" Cordy asked.

"She invited me to come work out with her on Monday during free period, -- she even let me call her Faith -- and I agreed. So we were working out in the gym and playing around a little, and...she chased me into the pool, and we shared this sorta...intense...moment. I thought she wanted the same thing so...I leaned in. And she swam away from me. We haven't said a word to each other since."

"You caught her off-guard," Cordy said simply.

"No," Buffy said. "She must be straight or homophobic or something. She didn't want it at all. She practically leapt away from me."

Kennedy and Cordy shared a look and started laughing.

"What?" Buffy asked. "What's so funny?"

"Buffy, Faith's about as straight as a circle," Kennedy said. "I'm a little more open about it than she is, but she's a total lezzy. She went with a girl for a year in middle school. She's never shown any interest in guys, and she's as far from homophobic as you can get."

"Oh," Buffy said, blushing. "My mistake."

"Whatever happened between you she only took it badly because she wasn't ready. And the frustration she's been taking out on us is probably her way of working out how she feels about you. It's just what she does," Kennedy said, shrugging. "It's how she processes things."

"Well, let's hope she's figured it out in time for training," Cordy said. "One more session like that and I'm gonna snap in half."

"Yeah," Tara said quietly. "Let's hope so."

The table fell silent.

Buffy thought about Faith. No wonder Faith had leapt away from her like that. Her father had beaten on her as a child and she didn't want to do anything to displease him and risk being abused again.

Buffy wondered how hard it had been to hide the relationship Kennedy had mentioned Faith had had in middle school.

"Kennedy? Do you have any pictures of her as a kid?" Buffy asked quietly.

Kennedy smiled.

"I think so. You wanna see 'em? They're back at the barracks at my bunk."

"Yeah. If you don't care, that is," Buffy said quickly.

Kennedy grinned again.

"Not at all," she said. "C'mon."

:

"She's so adorable," Buffy said quietly.

Tara nodded her agreement. "Yeah, she is really cute. Look at those little dimples."

"That's something rare to see since she turned fourteen," Kennedy said. "She'd kinda lost the fun factor of life by then, she was so used to being beat on and her girl had just broken up with her. I only see them if I really make her laugh."

"I saw them," Buffy said, smiling at the memory. "At least three times before...what happened."

"Wow! Really?" Kennedy asked in astonishment.

Buffy nodded. "Yeah," she said. "It was the cutest thing I've ever seen."

"Yeah. Lucky bitch got mom's dimples. She used to feel like she was _so_ special because of them. She'd lord it over me when we were kids," Kennedy said.

Kennedy then launched into an imitation of a young Faith, saying, "'Yeah, well, Ma may put you in ugly dresses, Kenny, but I got these,' she'd say and then smile all big to show me. Really used to get to me too," Kennedy said, chuckling and smiling at the memories.

"She _is_ special," Buffy said.

"Then tell her that," Tara encouraged her. "Tell her that you like her if you feel that strongly."

"And risk her 'processing' by taking it out even harder on everyone? No way. I'll keep what I feel to myself for now," Buffy said. "But someday...maybe."

"Take your time," Kennedy advised her. "Ya still got like seven and a half months left of school. Just be glad she's cooling down, and we can keep a secret or you'd have some pretty pissed off girls coming at you."

Buffy smiled. "You guys promise you won't tell her."

"Sure," Cordy said. "You have to tell her in your own time. I, for one, respect that. What about you, Tara?"

"It took me a long time and lots of stuttering to tell Willow how I feel so I completely understand. Take your time, sweetie," Tara said, squeezing Buffy's shoulder. "You have to do what's right for you."

Buffy smiled at Tara, her friend from the start, and Kennedy and Cordy, her new friends. They supported her in her decision and that was what mattered. She'd deal with her feelings for Faith when she felt the time was right. And now, was not quite right.

"Soon," she said aloud. "I think it will be soon."

Buffy and Kennedy shared a smile.

"Cool," Kennedy said. "Listen, Cordy and I are gonna change. You guys better get ready too. I'm sure big sis has plenty of training for us to do today."

"Great," Cordy said. "Honey, next time you talk to her, can you tell her to get a grip? Please? Someone's gonna break something soon. I can feel it."

"Oh, stop overreacting," Kennedy said, scoffing at her girlfriend.

Buffy and Tara walked over to their bunks to get their uniforms and meet Willow, leaving the bickering lovers alone.


	5. Chapter Four

Chapter Four

Training had been easier that afternoon. Buffy was still a little sore but Faith had tamed it down so it was closer to what had been normal at the start of the year.

Just before lights out, Buffy walked through the barracks to Faith's door and knocked.

"Come in!"

Buffy opened the door and slid inside, closing it quietly behind her.

What she saw before her amazed her. Faith was sitting on her bed, already in her pajamas, with her knees pulled up to face-level. On her legs was a sketchpad. Faith held a pencil in her hand and was immersed in whatever it was she was drawing. She looked so beautiful with her hair falling down her face just right...

After a moment, Faith set the pencil down and examined her work. She sighed and shook her head before setting it aside and looking up.

"Buffy..."

"Just thought I'd say goodnight...ma'am," Buffy said.

"Buffy, I need to apologize. What I did was stupid. Ya didn't deserve any of the shit I laid on you. It's not your fault I'm screwed up."

"You're not screwed up," Buffy said. "I shouldn't have done what I did. I barely knew you. I barely know you now, for that matter."

Faith sighed and gestured for Buffy to come closer.

"Wanna see something?" she asked.

Buffy nodded and Faith gestured for her to sit down.

Faith picked up her sketchpad and looked at it once more before showing it to Buffy.

Buffy gasped in surprise. The pencil drawing was amazing and very clearly a portrait of her from the shoulders up. Her hair was down falling smoothly down her shoulders. A smile lit her entire face.

"You drew this from memory?" Buffy asked.

"I memorized your face the moment I met you," Faith said. "And I couldn't get you out of my head. I still can't get you out of my head. Especially with...what happened."

Their eyes met and it was like that same moment all over again. They were both entranced, staring into each other's eyes. This time, however, when Buffy leaned closer, so did Faith.

"We can't," Faith whispered, pulling back again. "Not here. We could get caught."

"Your sister doesn't seem to care," Buffy said, sounding a little bolder than she'd intended. "She goes around with her arm wrapped around Cordy's waist like it's nothing."

"To her, it _is_ nothing," Faith said. "She doesn't care what people think about her. She doesn't care that she could be reported for homosexual conduct at any moment..."

"And you do?" Buffy asked. "You never struck me as someone who gave a damn what people thought of her. Was I wrong?"

"I _don't_ give a damn what people think of me," Faith said. "But, B, I can't risk being caught with a girl and being reported. I could be expelled and my dad...he'd be _so_ fuckin' mad."

Buffy nodded and looked up into Faith's eyes. Brown eyes stared back into hers.

"I may not know you all that well, Faith, but I do know that you can stand up to your father. I recognize a strong girl when I see one and you definitely are strong."

Faith bowed her head and felt Buffy's hands clasp onto hers.

"I'm here if you need to talk," Buffy said softly. "About anything. You can always come to me for anything."

"Thanks," Faith said quietly. "Better get to bed, maggot. We'll talk in the morning."

"Okay." Buffy stood up. "Goodnight, then."

"'Night, B," Faith said.

Buffy leaned down and left a lingering kiss on Faith's cheek, leaving before the older girl could react.

Faith stared at the door in surprise. A smile slowly took over her face and she laid back in bed, grinning.


	6. Chapter Five

Chapter Five

Buffy was having that dream again. The one where she was being especially intimate with another someone of the fairer sex. The last time she'd had the dream, she still hadn't been able to figure out who it was. This time, she knew it was Faith.

Buffy felt Faith's lips on hers, kissing her as gently as possible. She wasn't even sure if it was considered a kiss. Good thing this was a dream, then.

Buffy bolted up in bed at the sound of the morning wake-up bell. Her heart was beating unusually fast. She'd been surprised by the bell, and her dream had worked her up a bit. She could still feel her dream-Faith's lips.

She climbed down the ladder just as Willow was shoving her feet into the black boots at her feet. She quickly hugged Buffy good morning then leaned across the gap between their bed and Tara and Cordy's bed to give Tara a sweet morning kiss. Buffy watched a little enviously -- she wished she and Faith could do that. She shook her head to get rid of that thought.

Cordy climbed down the ladder and put on her boots while Willow and Tara were still kissing. She smiled at Buffy before crossing the room and pulling Kennedy into a passionate kiss.

Buffy grabbed her collared shirt and pulled it on. It was a Saturday and after breakfast, the students were allowed to do whatever they wanted. She headed for the dining hall and piled her tray with food. She was starving, having skipped dinner with Cordy and Kennedy last night.

"Summers, hey."

Buffy looked up and smiled at Faith. Faith smiled back and sat down beside her. She set her tray down, and they started to eat in a comfortable silence.

After about ten minutes, Buffy felt a weird tingling sensation on her leg. She continued eating as if she hadn't felt it, but glanced down and saw Faith lightly caressing her leg.

Faith must've felt Buffy's gaze because she stopped moving her fingers and simply laid her hand on the younger girl's thigh. Buffy covered Faith's hand with her own.

"Hey," she said quietly, squeezing Faith's hand.

They looked up at the same time and their eyes locked.

"Hey," Faith said back, just as quietly. "B, are we still gonna talk later?"

Buffy nodded.

"Absolutely," she whispered. "We'll go someplace private, okay?"

"Sounds five by five," Faith said. "But we better hurry up and eat!"

Buffy grinned and released Faith's hand, which disappeared from Buffy's thigh, and they both dug into their food.

* * *

Buffy led Faith to the on-campus house, and Faith kept complaining and asking where they were going. Buffy knew she should be irritated at the constant nagging but she actually thought it was cute.

"We're here," she said, stopping in front of the house.

"This...is the Commandant's house," Faith said. "We can't go in there."

"Sure we can," Buffy said. "Mom's out of town, and Giles is still at his office, probably reading some old, boring book. C'mon."

"So, the Commandant's your step-dad."

"Yep. Where did you think I disappeared to on weekends? I'm not allowed off campus without an escort. This is on-campus and I have a key so we're safe."

"Oh-kay," Faith sighed, reluctantly allowing Buffy to lead her into the house and up to her bedroom.

"Why's your mom out of town?" Faith asked.

Buffy lay back on her big double bed and smiled to herself. She liked having a big bed at the house when she spent the week on a bunk that looked as if it would collapse at any moment. But she saw that Faith was uncomfortable.

"Faith, relax," Buffy said. "Come sit with me, and I'll answer all your questions."

Faith sighed and joined Buffy on the bed.

"Can I brush your hair?" Buffy asked the brunette.

"Sure."

Buffy smiled happily and grabbed a brush off her bedside table. She started running the brush and her own fingers through Faith's dark locks. She ended up discarding the brush to gently finger-comb Faith's hair. She liked it and she was pretty sure from how relaxed Faith seemed that her captain liked it too.

"So, tell me why your mom's outta town," Faith said.

"Well, we're from L.A., as you know. She and some other lady co-own a gallery and they have a big exhibit coming in so Mom went in to help oversee things."

"And what about your dad?"

"Virtually non-existent. Haven't seen or heard from him since they divorced when I was fourteen and I chose to stay with Mom. I don't think I want to hear from him anyway. He cheated on my mom with his secretary."

"Oh. I'm sorry," Faith said quietly.

"It's okay," Buffy said. "I got over it a long time ago."

Buffy gently removed her fingers from Faith's hair and leaned her head on Faith's firm shoulder. Faith tensed for a moment but her muscles began to relax and they eventually fell back against the pillows together.

"So, Ken told me you two were discussing my history a bit, huh?"

Buffy nodded and smiled sheepishly.

"I wanted to talk to you but it didn't seem like we were on the best of terms at that point in time," Buffy said softly, snuggling closer to the brunette. "Was your dad really in the military?"

"For a while," Faith said, grinning.

"What's with the grin? From what Kennedy said, you and your dad don't get along very well," Buffy said.

"We don't. What did Kennedy tell you about Dad being in the military?"

"Not much. We mostly talked about you, not your parents or her, really."

"Well, I know a lot more about his 'military days' than she does," Faith said. "He was in the military for three years and was kicked out when they found out he was screwin' a guy. He liked to make us think that he'd been all powerful and high up there, but he wasn't. I looked it up."

Buffy grinned. She couldn't help it. Faith sounded so proud of herself for having something on her father.

"That's why he's never liked Kennedy being lez. That's why I'm afraid to say that I'm not all that interested in guys. He doesn't want his entire military-trained family to be gay like him."

"You know, from what I've heard so far, your parents and you and Ken all seem to be fonder of the same sex instead of the opposite sex."

"Well, you don't seem to be goin' for any of the campus hotties yourself, B," Faith teased.

"That's because I've been trying to get close to a certain one. I really like this person, see, but I don't know if they like me back. What do you think?" Buffy asked shyly.

"I think...sh-_they_ definitely feel the same way," Faith said softly, moving closer to the blonde beside her.

Their lips were a mere inch away and their eyes were locked.

"No one's gonna know," Buffy breathed. "If that's what you're worried about."

"I'm not worried," Faith said softly. "C'mere."

Buffy grinned and leaned forward, pressing her lips gently against Faith's. Their kisses were tentative at first but quickly became more passionate as they expressed their feelings for each other physically for the first time.

Buffy saw fireworks. She felt Faith's strong arms around her, holding her tightly, knowing that the other girl would never let go. And the fireworks... They were all pretty colors: blue, red, green, purple...and all the other ones Buffy couldn't think of right at that moment. Kissing Faith...well, not only did it feel _good_, but...it felt _right_. This relationship, this being together...it _was_ right.

"God... That was amazing," Buffy whispered, as Faith pulled away. "_You_ were amazing."

"You were pretty awesome yourself, Summers," Faith said, smiling. "First time kissing another girl?"

Buffy nodded and closed her eyes as Faith pushed a lock of her hair back from her face. She felt Faith kiss her nose and giggled at the tickling sensation.

"Can you stay here for the weekend?" Buffy asked. "I don't think Giles will mind."

"I don't know, B. Stayin' in the Commandant's house while I'm bein' all lovey-like with his step-daughter...?"

"Please. I don't want you to leave," Buffy whispered. "He'll doesn't have to know that we're...what we are. Not right now. What are we, by the way?"

"I don't know. Are we together?"

"I want us to be. Can we be girlfriends then?"

"I'd like that," Faith said. They shared a smile. "So lemme get this straight. We're together as girlfriends, and...we're kind of a secret right?"

Buffy hesitated at this. Most of her wanted to scream this to the rooftops. She was with Faith, someone she'd been entranced by the moment they met.

"I guess."

"Thanks, B. Yeah, I'll stay here the weekend."

Buffy squealed happily and gave Faith a big kiss. Faith chuckled and kissed her back.

"I'm gonna take care of you, Buffy," she said softly. "Promise."

"I'll take care of you too," Buffy said. "I want to make sure you're always safe."

"All right. Well, now that you've worked me up, what do you say we head over to the gym and go swimming, hm?"

Buffy nodded. She knew they had swimsuits at the gym, and she was eager to spend any time she could with Faith.

"Let's go." Faith got up and pulled Buffy up with her.

As they walked to the gym, Buffy realized that it was going to take a lot of work to keep this relationship going. But she knew it would be well worth it in the end.

The End.

Continued in "Together Through It All"...


End file.
